Viigo for BlackBerry is A One Stop Shop for Data
By: @Hilzfuld
I have to be honest here. Although I have seen Viigo in almost every single top 10 list for BlackBerrys, I never tried it till this week. The reason it took me so long is that I have been using a different app for my data consumption needs. Snaptu had everything I needed in an RSS/social networking/utility app, and not only have I been using Snaptu regularly, but it is one of the 8 icons on my BlackBerry home screen.
Snaptu
Having said that, I was seeing Viigo mentioned by anyone and everyone as the ultimate RSS app for BlackBerry, I had to give it a shot just in case I was missing out on something great. Well, I downloaded it, and it is indeed great, and it is staying on my BlackBerry’s limited application memory, but it is not replacing Snaptu, not yet at least. Viigo is first and foremost an RSS reader, which some might say is a dead trend, while others say it is very much alive and kickin.
Viigo did a great job on the interface with a clean looking and easy to navigate UI. When you launch the app, you are presented with a screen filled with categories. The default list includes News and RSS, Weather, Sports, Business and Finance, Audio and Podcasts, Local Interest, Shopping, Deals, Entertainment, Flights and Travel, Social Networks, and Politics. Like I said in the title, it is a one stop shop.
The app includes tons of customization options including how the app is closed, image viewing within Viigo, how many articles the app displays, how it updates the feeds, and a whole lot more. Generally speaking, I found the content, especially the location relevant type, such as Local Interest, to be irrelevant to my location, seems like it is all targeting UK citizens. At the core of the app is the RSS, so let’s focus on that. You can easily select which feed to subscribe to from the very long list of choices. You can also easily add a site that is not included in the app, and this is all very easy to do thanks to the clear interface.
When you are in the RSS section of the app, each feed has a number next to it, which indicates how many new articles there are since your last Viigo use. Once you click through to an article, the fonts are very easy to read, and based on your settings, the pictures are displayed beautifully, something Snaptu does not support, if I am not mistaken. My main use of Snaptu is its sharing capabilities. On my way home from work, I like to read the articles I missed from that day and share the interesting ones with my Twitter followers.
Viigo has even more advanced sharing options with the ability to share articles on Twitter, Facebook, Email, and Delicious. Truth be told, that is only one more option than Snaptu, and one that I personally will never use. You can also choose to read the full article in Viigo, or open it in the device’s browser, also something I will never do. (have you ever used the RIM browser?)
Viigo is an important and effective tool for us data addicts, and it includes almost all the features you can imagine for such a tool. Some things I found to be less appealing are the ads (but it IS a free app, so what am I complaining about?), but more than that, when reading an article, I need to scroll all the way to the bottom to share it on Twitter. I would have liked to be able to click Menu and select “Share on Twitter”. Not really sure why they left that out.
Other than that, some of the categories, such as Social Networks, were too empty for my liking, and more choices would have enhanced the app as a whole. All in all though, I completely understand why Viigo is ranked in the top 10 BlackBerry apps by almost everyone, and the fact that it is free just takes it from being another great app to a Must Have app. However, I will say, that in my opinion, at least for the way I use my phone, Snaptu remains the best app for data consumption. Viigo is definitely more feature packed and includes more customization options, but I think this is a perfect example of when we can apply the saying “Sometimes less is more”.
Our Rating: 3/5
Developer: Viigo
7 Comments to “Viigo for BlackBerry is A One Stop Shop for Data”
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Thank you for your review. I have alternately added, then removed, viigo from my BB. I agree that it is an excellent platform for reading RSS feeds and sharing them and also agree that it makes nice of a very nice user interface. However, I have found it to be a data intensive program and that it appears to slow down my BB’s operating speed when installed. Based on your review,I may have to try it again.
However, my primary reason for commenting is based on your reference to the RIM browser (“Have you ever used the RIM browser?”). I couldn’t agree with you more. The RIM browser is a disappointment. I would highly recommend that anyone looking for a better browsing experience on their BB check out the BOLT browser available from Bitstream (http://boltbrowser.com). It is available via an OTA download and allows you to browse any website you want- mobile or otherwise – at an amazing clip. It is a fully functional browser for the BB and even allows you to watch videos and subscribe to RSS feeds. I have started using it almost exclusively on my BB. It is available as a free download from bitstream and the latest version even comes with a optional module for making it the default browser on your BB. With that module installed, you can open virtually any link on your BB within BOLT by simply making use of the menu button within whatever application you are using. I highly recommend you give it a test drive you if are looking for something more than the RIM browser for your internet experience on a BB.
Mick Dutcher
Madison, Wisconsin
Thanks for your comment! I already reviewed Bolt, and agree with your comment. You can read the review here: http://blog.appboy.com/2009/12/bolt-1-6-for-blackberry-is-out-and-here-to-stay-on-my-berry/
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